Apparatus for pumping and compressing air



` Unire CHARLES W. BUERKLE AND BERNARD A. BUERKLE, JR., PITTSBURG,

' PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUSlFOR PUIVIPING AND COMPRESSING AIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent` No. 514,880, dated February 13, 1894. Application filed July 5, 1892. Serial No. 439,079. (No model.)

.To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES W. BUERKLE county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Pumping and Compressing Gas; and we do hereby declare the following t`o be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which forma part of thisspecication. r 5 Our invention relates to an improved apparatus for pumping gas, and consists in certain details of construction, and combination of parts as will be fully described hereinafter.

In theaccompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of ourimproved pumping apparatus, which is constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan View taken on the line x-rc. Fig. 3 `is an enlarged side sectional elevation of one of the pumping cylinders. Fig. 4 is a sectional plan View through the several valves of the apparatus.

Toconstruet anapparatus for lpumping gas in accordance with our invention, we provide two cylinders 1 of a suitable size, and arrange the same on the top of a frame 2, in a Vertical position. These cylinders 1, are open at vthe top, and covered with plates 24, having an orifice in which a check valve 26 is made to balance 28 connected to it by means of pivoted lever 27 as seen in Fig. 3. Above these plates 24 are cylindrical extensions 23 in which vertically moving pistons 34 are made to operate. Each of these pistons is provided with check valves 35, and piston rods 22, and also with a recess 39 beneath the said valves 35. Attached to each of the rods 22, are bent levers 2O fulcrumed at 21, and adapted to operate an inclined piece 18, pivoted to an upright 17, and attached to the valves below and this inclined piece 18 is provided with suitable guideways wherein rollsa spherical weight 19, the object of which is to in- 5o sure thev proper action of the levers 20 and pistons 34-as will be understood. These valves operate said check valve having a counter- -are four in number and are used to regulate and control the flow of liquids from one cylinder to the other, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

Beneath the piston 34, and above the check valve 26 is a oat 33, which rests en a lever 30, pivoted at 30a and counterbalanced vwith a weight 32, and provided with a downwardly projecting arm 31, adapted to operate a slid- 6o ing shoe 29, to prevent the valve 26 from clos`- ing.

Connecting the one'cylinder with the other are two pipes 7 and 11, each of which is provided with two valves 3-4, 5 and 6, and con- 65 necting branch. pipes 8,"and 10, communicating with the inlet and outlet' of an ordinary pump 9. Connecting the stems of these valves is a frame comprising the side bars 14 pivotedat 13 to the standard 12 and having 7o their ends slotted at 15 to receive the ends of the end bars 40, to which are attached the respective valve rods and connected to these end bars 40 of the frame are chains 16 the' upper ends of which are secured to the respective ends of the rocking inclined piece 18. This mechanism, comprising the tilting shells xed to the valve stems and the shifting weights arranged therein is the subject of a separate application (Serial No. 439,080) filed 8o by us July 5, 1892, and consequently we do not claim the same herein.

Entering each of the cylinders 1 are pipes 37, each of which is fitted with a check valve 25, which discharges the gas into the cylindersunder low pressure, and the said gas is discharged at high pressure through a pipe 36, leading from the upper chamber23.

. In operation, Water or other liquid is irst filled in one of the cylinders, to about the 9o level of the piston 34. The pump vis put in motion and the valves set to occupy a position such as shown at Fig. 4 on the drawings. The other cylinder 1 is filled with gas from the pipe 37 entering the same, and prevented 95 from returning by the check valve 25. The

'pump 9 moves the liquid from the first cylinder and forces the gas under great pressure through the pipe 36, to points or places requiring its use. level of the float, 33, the same .is lifted from the lever 30, and the counterweight 32 oscil- When the liquid reaches the xo o lates the saine thereby moving the sliding piece 29, beneath the check valve 26 to prevent the same from closing, and permit the liquid to return into the cylinder below when the operation is reversed. The fioat 33 when elevated, or entered into the recess 39 being guided in its vertical movement by guides 33 secured in the cylinder 23 below the piston 34, as seen in Fig. 3, closes the opening through the same, and the liquid pressure moves the said piston upward,still compressing the gas, and at the same time operating the lever 20, which moves the inclined piece 18 and starting a heavy ball 19 toward the other end, thereby reversing the valves, 4- 5-6 and 7, to pump the liquid to the other cylinder. This operation is repeated, and the saine liquid used first in one cylinder, then in the other.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In an apparatus for pumping gas, the combination with two cylinders, each having a piston, of the gas-inlet and outlet pipes, connecting, respectively, with said cylinders below and above said pistons, said pistons having valved passages extending through them, liquid-inlet pipes connecting the lower portions ot' said cylinders one with the other, valves in said pipes, means for closing the passages through said pistons as the Waterlevel rises in said cylinders, means for forcing liquid through said liquid-inlet pipes from the lower portion of one cylinder to that of the other, and means for operating the valves in said pipes by the rise of the pistons in the respective cylinders, substantially as set forth.

2. In an apparatus for pumping gas, the combination with two cylinders, each having a partition whereby each cylinder is divided into an upper and a lower compartment, of pistons in the upper compartments of said cylinders, said pistons and partitions being each provided with a valved passage extending through it, gas-inlet and outlet pipes connecting respectively with the lower and upper compartments of each cylinder, liquid-inlet pipes connecting the lower compartment of one cylinder with that of the other, valves in said pipes, means for closing the passages through the pistons and for opening the passages through the partitions as the water-level rises in said upper compartments, means for forcing water through the liquid-inlet pipes from the lower compartment of one cylinder into that of the other cylinder, and means for operating the valves in said pipes by the rise of the pistons in the respective cylinders, substantially as set forth.

3. In an apparatus for pumping gas, the combination with two cylinders, each provided with a partition dividingit into an upper and a lower compartment, of the pistons arranged in the upper compartments and provided with piston-rods projecting through the walls of said cylinders, said pistons and p artitions having Valved passages eiitending through them, gas-inlet and outlet pipes connecting respectively with the lowerand npper compartments of each cylinder, liquid-in` let pipes connecting the lower compartments of said cylinders one with the other,.va.lves in said pipes, means for forcing liquid into the lower compartment of either of said cylinders, sliding slices in the upper coinpartments, said slices being adapted to take under the valves in the partitions when said valves are raised, means for operating said shoes, floats adapted to close the passages in the pistons as the water-level risesin the upper compartments of said cylinders, and means for communicating the movementl of said pistons and piston-rods inthe respectivo cylinders to the valves controlling the fiJw of liquid between said cylinders, substantially as set forth.

4. In an apparatus for pumping gas, the combination with two cylinders having partitions dividing each cylinder into an upper and a lower compartment, valves in said partitions, gas-inlet and outlet 'pipes connecting respectively with the lower and upper compartments of the cylinders, liquid-inlet pipes connecting the lower compartments of said cylinders one with the other, means for forcing liquid from one cylinder through said pipes into the other cylinder, tioats actuated by the rise of the liquid-level in said cylinders, weighted levers pivoted in said cylinders and having their free ends arranged under the fioats, shoes arranged on the partitions in said cylinders and adapted to be moved under and to liold the valves in said partitions in their opened position, said levers having arms connected to said shoes, whereby as the liquidlevelin said cylinders rises, said shoes will be pushed under the valves, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we hereunto affix our signatures this 8th day of April, A. D. 1892.

CHARLES W. BUERKLE. L. 8.] BERNARD A. BUERKLE, JR. L. s l In presence of- JAS. J. MCAFEE, HENRY GEHRING.

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